Carrie never went into labor and delivered at 42 weeks 3 days via C-section. Her birth plan was to have a baby and her breast nursing plan was to feed her baby. After a two day induction with a failed epidural and an OP Baby, she was ready to meet her baby. She opted for a C-section rather than continuing on at the suggestion of her OBGYN. She attempted nursing and found out her breast tissue had never fully developed in puberty. Powered with choices, she pumped for 10 months and supplemented with formula. On her second, she scheduled a planned C-section. Carrie is giggly and happy and is a true testament to going with the flow, being open and loving your birth story and motherhood journey.

What does a contraction feel like how do I know if I'm in labor? And what does the day of Labor look like? Wait, is this normal? Hey, I'm Heidi Campbell a certified birth Doula host of this podcast birth story and owner of my Doula Heidi. I've supported hundreds of women through their labor and deliveries and I.

If that every one of them and you deserves a microphone and a stage, so here we are listen each week to get answers to these tough questions and more birth story where we talk about pregnancy labor deliveries where we tell our stories share our feelings and of course chat about our favorite baby products and motherhood and because I'm passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from some of the top experts in labor and delivery whether you.

Pregnant trying desperately to get pregnant. I hope you will stick around and be part of this tribe. Today, I've got carry in the podcast Studio talking about her to cesarean birth. So welcome Carrie. Thanks. Tell us a little bit about yourself to get started. I am originally from West Virginia, but have lived in Charlotte for.

At this point and my husband is a native charlatan as well. And we now have two healthy baby boys one is for I guess they're not babies anymore. What is for in the other is two and a half. I had to cesareans within 19 months of each other. That's crazy and we are going to get into it. So let's go with Jason your first yes.

Okay. How long did it take you to get pregnant took three or four months to get pregnant so that you. That was all good easy. And did you have to do any kind of like ovulation kits are like what were you on birth control? Like previously? Yes. I have been on birth control for years and then and then because I'm neurotic we did ovulation kits.

I don't know that they were necessary. But that was just I felt like I could control the situation more a little bit better and then but you were also a little bit. So how old were you I was 34 when I got pregnant. Oh, okay. Yeah cheese time just goes by so fast. It's unbelievable. Okay, so you and your husband were like it's time to have a baby you did some ovulation, but you didn't really need and then boom.

How did you find out you were pregnant? Well, because we were very purposefully trying like I was like waiting waiting waiting and. You know, so like as soon as the pregnancy test could tell you that you're allowed to take the test. I was taking it and was it positive like the very first time you tried I was getting a little better of like at least waiting until the day my period should start and it was positive at that point.

So so let's go back. So that means if you were purposefully trying to get pregnant that means there was probably two months where you took pregnancy tests that were negative. Right? Was that true then to okay. So tell everybody about that like what's it like to. Be married decide you're going to have a kid do an ovulation stick have sex at all the right times and then you take a pregnancy test and it's negative.

It's frustrating and because we were a little older I immediately jumped to is something wrong even though you know. It's not necessarily guaranteed that you're going to get pregnant on the first try and lots of people don't get pregnant on the first try. Yeah, um, you know, it's frustrating. It's very upsetting that like what this should be simple.

Why is this not working, right? Or I've tried all of these years on birth control to not get pregnant and so like clearly the second. I don't take birth control. I'm just going to be pregnant exactly when you have sex unprotected. Yeah, you know, that's the obvious result. This should just be easy because I've been purposefully trying not to for so long and then your husband when you said were older he how old is your husband.

My husband is 9 years older than I am. Okay, so you were like 35-ish and he was like almost 45 ishak. Now did you guys do any family planning or like did you do anything with your OBGYN before you decided to come off birth control and get pregnant? We did not however the minute I knew I was pregnant we did.

Every test available all the genetic testing. Okay. So walk me through that because I did not do that. So now I wish I would have anyone who's listening. I think it's kind of a cool thing. I wish I would have done the genetic testing but I didn't so, how does that work? Like, what is it? What do you do?

It's just a blood sample. So. During one of my early visits did the blood sample and they test for a myriad of different potential genetic disorders. So we did that that was more pressing on me because at the time my cousin was going through trying to diagnose her son who had a lot of learning disabilities and they were trying to figure out I mean honestly just trying to put a label on all of his difficulties, so he had Developmental and learning disabilities and they were trying to.

To decide what that was and how to best treat him in a treatment plan for him moving forward. So you're they just did like what files a blood and then send them off and mom crazy. It took like a week. Did your insurance company covering? So my insurance company did cover it and I've seen that different insurance companies do different things mine covered it and I don't know if that was because my insurance company just covers it or if because in certain circles, I could have been considered a geriatric pregnancy.

Yes and certain circles. I could have also been that is so fun. Okay, so it really was just easy. You got a vial of blood taken. It was covered by your insurance. I mean there really wasn't a reason. Not to do it exactly. So what did that panel show you so that panel could have shown us the gender, but we opted to not find out the gender until birth, but that showed us that we.

You know had a healthy baby that in conjunction with you know, all the doctor's visits to check the heartbeat and yeah all of those things but from a genetic standpoint, you didn't have any red flags and also well, that's our breathe, you know some relief right as you're going and what is that around 10 or 12 weeks just nine weeks 09 week.

So it's really early you could find out the gender. Super less so tell me about your medical history in your health going into pregnancy. Like are you healthy? I was healthy. However, I did have a why do have a neurological disorder called pseudotumor cerebri? Okay. So what that is is that sometimes my body produces more spinal fluid than it drains.

And when that occurs I get all the symptoms of a brain tumor so doubled Vision a weird. Noise in my ears horrible horrible headaches. So I was diagnosed with that when I was 21 or 22. Okay and knew then that sudden weight gain can cause this to re-emerge and be a problem again. So pregnancy is most often the time that if you see the symptoms reoccur pregnancies, generally the time that you have the most rapid weight gain, and so I knew that that.

Was potentially something that would come up during my pregnancy. So as soon as we confirmed that was pregnant my OB started working with my neuro-ophthalmologist how to watch this how to see if we were going to have a recurrence of this and what we needed to do. So what came of it a lot of extra doctor visits between the two of them.

I. Minor ophthalmologist checked my site because the first symptom is that you lose some of your peripheral peripheral vision, okay, but not even enough that I would notice it except during this test. So they kept a close eye on that. Luckily. I didn't have any issues throughout the time, but they were great working together.

Her to make sure that we were keeping an eye on it just on top of it. Now. Did they put you on any special diet or anything so that you would not rapidly gain more weight than necessary? No, I did not they did tell me like don't go crazy. You're eating for two not 10, you know, yeah those things they tell that everybody so you had pretty much freedom in your pregnancy diet.

Yes. I had overall a very healthy easy pregnancy. So tell me about the beginning like nausea vomiting. No nausea, no vomiting so lucky. Okay. I really had a dream. Like you did you love being pregnant? Did you liked it? I liked it until I was so big that I couldn't sleep. Okay, and for me that was.

Around eight months. Okay, because I have a doll. So 30 is 30 32 weeks and you were like, I can't sleep. And so when you say you can't sleep do you mean like you're waking up often to go to the bathroom or you mean like you can't breathe like what does that mean? I can't sleep. I just would wake up constantly throughout the night for no real known reason.

I would it wasn't to go to the I mean, I'll go to the bathroom. Twice maybe three times that that seemed livable given someone was sitting on my bladder, but it was more just I would just wake up and look around. And be like there are no noises in the house. Why am I like? Yeah, just wow unexplained so here for anyone who's listening.

I feel like this is like a good teachable moment to look what did you do? Because there was two two and a half months left in your pregnancy. And I mean, I'm assuming you had to sleep some yeah. So what did you do when you were restless and Sleepless to try to get back to sleep for the first little bit I kind of ignored it and then I started like exploring different ways.

Is there some other way that I could be more comfortable? And so I tried one of the pregnancy pillows where it goes between your knees and helps even out your knees and your hips that gave me some relief but not an enormous amount and what I did really towards the end was I slept on our couch sitting up.

Okay, because that was the most. Was it a recliner or just just a couch? It was just a couch. So I was reclined a little bit on some pillows, but I was mainly propped up and that allowed finally allowed me to just pass out and okay overwhelmingly for anyone who's listening if you. Get a little bigger.

You have a tendency to have a bigger babies and it puts a lot of pressure to on your lungs and your diaphragm and it's just it's harder to talk breathe set anything so many moms find relief from the incline. So they make little wedges that can go under your mattress to prop you up, but then like just pillows pillows blows right like all the pill so all the pillows in the world and then that pregnancy pillow was yours the big s-shaped.

Yeah find. Yeah. Okay, maybe we'll put a link in the show notes to one of those pillows because they are pretty wonderful and keeping your hips and your knees so badly. If you're having hip pain you have those helped a ton because in my second pregnancy. It was a big it was it was a big really much more you so now as your pregnancy went on like I'm sitting across from Carrie and she's not a very tall person.

So you can imagine shorter women with short torsos like your belly goes out and you can't hide the baby as much but like was there any indication that your babies were extra big did they think that? Yes, okay. It's a doctor's appointment like not. So large that we were concerned about anything but yes, I was carrying large children and I did I stuck straight out.

So if you stood behind me, you almost couldn't tell that I was pregnant with Kevin my. I can remember being in the self checkout line of Harris Teeter and I was on my phone talking to somebody and one of the employees turned around and tapped on the monitor to get my attention and I looked up and she goes how many are in there?

Oh my gosh, I told her for oh my God, just to see what she would say. I did. Did you ever did you come clean? No, oh my gosh. I love you. I'll order for and like I watched her eyes like about bug out of her head and then I got my groceries and I left be like can I have some free formula because they only have to press and we're going to get to that in a minute as to why we could even that's.

Sad during your pregnancy. Do you have our pregnancies? Did anybody else say anything that just really got under your skin that you can remember so spoiler alert. I went past my due date. And so with my first child I would again be in the grocery store and Target or whatever and I was huge if you feel like oh my gosh, what are you do and I would say last week and they were so they were so uncomfortable and they were like, Should you be here and I'm like, I promise if I thought I was having this child right now.

I would not be in Target. I would not be interested either if I thought I was in labor. Like exactly did you okay? Spoil alert of your second child. I know that you had a summer baby. Yes. Did you did you get in the public pool? I did what I totally did. Okay. So I remember people being in the pool and people asking when are you due and me thinking?

Oh, no, I'm gonna have to lie right now. So you got enough pull to yes. I was probably a rarely 3030. For weeks. I don't know went after 34 weeks such relief though when you can get into a pool and take out late off. Although I will caution part of the reason. I stopped going to the pool was it felt so great in the moment to have all that relief, but my pain in my hips was much worse than like three or four hours after I got out of the pool.

So. I mean, it's not a reason to necessarily stop you from the relief but. Can happen that your body is like whoa, what happened to all that gravity relief, right? Okay that we were just having this conversation the other day about pain relief when the epidural fails. So when you have an epidural and then carries Cherry right now and then you're like you get all this really and then it stops working and then all of it comes back and it feels like it's like a hundred times worse than it was originally.

Because you're coping mechanisms. You let all your coping mechanisms go. So seasoning with the pole kind of have the same if you're like, oh I'm a hundred and twenty pounds again right now. Like I'm Free as a bird and then you get out and you're like, I just peed my pants Oh No Okay. So let's get to the end of the pregnancy because we've kind of like spoiled it a little bit right?

So they were thinking you are measuring big like they were thinking this is not. A tiny baby. This is not a tiny baby and everybody that I know or like, oh, you're gonna go early. You're so big You're Gonna Go relevantly gonna go early and I just luckily did not believe them. And so yeah, and so your due date I even went so what when was that my due date was December 28.

Oh God. Okay. So right at the holidays, right? So it's a good thing, you know, so in my birthday is the 30th, so I did not want my child to be born on Christmas Day selfishly. I wanted to have a separate day from Jesus and I also didn't want to share my birthday. But maybe you wanted the tax. I don't even know if that's a thing anymore the tax break by delivering for the separate.

Oh, maybe it was back then maybe it was almost 5 so but yeah, so he was due December 28th. So December 28th came and went. Yep. I don't know that this is true. But in my head once you go past your delivery date, you start going to the doctor every like three days. For that entire time that it depends on like who your provider is.

Yeah, but you go from like, you know, the four weeks to the two weeks to the one week too often know some doctors will see you at 40 and see you at 41 weeks, but others will bring you in for what's called a non-stress test. Yes, and that's what I was really going for. Okay, so maybe at 40 weeks three days or something they brought you in for that.

What does that look like? So you get hooked up to the fetal Monitor and. They also hook you up to take your blood pressure and keep your. Beat and just kind of lay there and hang out and watch TV for a while and then they in my case. They said everything looks good. See you in three days. So and that's what one or two hours of monitoring about an hour an hour of monitoring.

Okay, so they were like baby looks good. And that did they do an ultrasound the second time. Okay. So then you went back at 41 weeks, I guess. And then they did an ultrasound and another NST and they're like babies still good. Did they check your cervix? Yes any dilation none. So you are a completely closed cervix at 41 weeks.

I'm even like one cinnamon. Let's talk about your head space. So you're 41 weeks where you still working? So this is so because I'm an education. I had left work before Christmas break. Not planning to return to work but January 2nd rolled around I still did not have a child. So I didn't want to start my maternity leave because I wanted the majority of it on the after.

Yeah. He was born. So I went back to work. I oh my God was awful. I would have had a nervous. I'm like right now. My stomach is just like turning over for you. So here you are. You're like December 15th or whatever school's out. I'm done. I'm gonna have a baby and then you have to go back to work to go back to work.

I had passed off all of my work to all the wonderful people who were going to cover my maternity leave for me. So there was really nothing for me to do. Yeah while I would take on like small little. Projects that could be handled in a day or two. But yeah, I was working from home and option it was not where I was at that point in time.

So yeah, so I definitely like alright, let's just make a little public service announcement to all employers out there human resources. Find a way to let your employee who's 41 weeks gestation work from home. It's the safest thing for everyone. Okay, that's right. People didn't want to be on the elevator with me because everybody knew I should've already had this child like it was it was crazy.

So you went back to work. I went back to her 41 weeks that and I will say I went back to work because I needed a distraction from focusing on when's my babe. When's my baby coming? Absolutely dance that. I'm sure I could have said. No, I don't want to do this but I chose to go back. Okay to have something to do during the day.

Okay, so then you're 41 weeks for did you try natural induction techniques? We did some like I walked okay hundreds of miles. I feel like I'm not freezing cold through my neighborhood. It's X the about at the doctor's office. Did they do anything like sweep your membranes or a did not okay. Do you know what it was because like nothing about my body said I was anywhere close to being in labor except for the fact that you were 41 exam.

That was for well, eventually he had to come out so after 41 weeks so you went to this two appointments. When do those two appointment then know what at once you hit 40 one week? No, I know that look like so my blood pressure and his heartbeat in my fluid still looked great. Okay, and my eyes evidenced by ultrasound.

Yes. Okay, so they had done another ultrasound. My doctor was great in the. As long as I was willing to kind of let the baby be in charge of the situation. And because our health looked fine, let's let it ride but I vividly remember 42 weeks was on a Monday for me. Okay. I vividly remember being in the doctor's office Friday afternoon.

And I'd had the non-stress test. I'd had another ultrasound everything looked fine still. Yeah, and I remember and you at this point you're 41. Five days. Yes then. Okay, and my doctor looks at me, and he was like if you're just over it I can send you to be induced or I can give you until Monday.

But Monday is the deadline and I sat there and are you with your husband or you alone? I was with my husband. Okay. I looked at my husband and I was like. I just feel like let's give him a few more days. Okay, and our my daughter was like, okay, that's fine. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy. I looked to my doctor and I was like I've read that if you induce and there's no sign of the baby being ready to come.

There's a good chance that I could be induced labor for three days and in a C-section and he said that is a possibility. And I said, let's give him a couple more days. Okay, so all right did so well, let's talk about that weekend. Okay. So, you know like there's a deadline, you know Monday or a few days after you're going to be having a baby.

Did you were you having Braxton Hicks that we go? Okay. So all of these traditional signs of like your mucus plug still intact vaginal fluid not there like bloody show not that like you weren't having your. How do you was like closed for business? Exactly baby was good. Okay, so that weekend you were aside from not being able to sleep though.

Was there where you happy? Why are you in the mood? I mean where you like? What was that weekend? Like I in general was still in a good mood. I was very thankful that. That my doctor supported not intervening since there was no sign that we had to intervene. Yeah, and I felt fine except for the sleep.

So I I tried that we can really just stay low-key and rest as much as possible because I assumed that I would not be sleeping for the foreseeable future. Once this child arrived. Yeah. Alright, so you did not go into labor. I did not go into labor. So what time was your appointment on Monday 11 a.m.

We got to the hospital got sort of settled and they started. On Pitocin, I'm going to interject right there and the fact that you can remember that it's 11 a.m. And I'm going to give this particular Hospital a score of 80% on this decision. I'm like, it's the morning you had a chance to sleep through, you know as much sleep as you could.

So I'm going to give them a B+ in Eighty percent score on the 11:00 a.m. If you are listening to this and you are getting scheduled for an induction, make sure that you do it as early in the morning as possible. So that you are as fully rested. You haven't wasted any energy at all on just breathing and being alive before the induction starts.

So like maybe you sleep in till nine or ten o'clock in the morning and 11 o'clock a.m. Is the perfect induction time, but maybe we. But five o'clock in the morning and so 7 a.m. Is the perfect induction time. I just want to put that in there. So many hospitals are like come in at 7 p.m. And will start the induction and you're like, huh?

Who. Like at seven o'clock. I'm watching Netflix and going to bed like who starts labor on purpose 7 p.m. So anyway, okay, so I just want to put in there 11 a.m. Is good. All right, you got your rested. You've had me all we'd had a nice breakfast. And so we sit and wait we watched some movies. And they're turning up the pitocin and turning of the pitocin and got some point I had cervidil okay, which is to soften and open the cervix.

Yes and make some went for a walk, you know in the hospital. Yeah, okay. Yeah, I just took your guess you took the back that IV with UV with me. Yes, let me walk and was your rear end hanging out of your nightgown. I did they put you in regular clothes. They they let me double the down. So I had one on the front and one of them.

This is a really good thing to tell everybody at the hospital. You can use two gowns. Yes arms through the front and then arms around the back like a jacket you get two sided hospital. I guarantee that in one of the drawers and that room is a whole drawer full of gallons. Just take what you need you have her up and go for a walk.

Yeah, the you're doing laps around the hospital and laps around the hospital come back watch another movie. Did they give you like a bouncy ball or there was a ball in the room? There was a jet tub in the room. Okay, and there were some other weird chair that was super comfortable because I don't remember much about it at the birthing chair just liked.

It's got a hole in the bottom of it. Looks like it's just a regular like a rocking chair kind of oh, okay because they usually have in the hospitals here. We have like a rocking chair that kind of it moves a little bit. And then we have a birthing chair that looks kind of like a toilet seat. This is probably the rocking chair.

Okay, so I didn't need anything with the hole in the bottom of this not yet. Nothing's going on. Right? So the day is just it's a normal day, but you have IVs and nothing's happening and it's nothing's happening. So for everyone that's listening. Carrie is an outlier. It is very rare to be 42 plus weeks to have no signs of labor at all to be induced for hours and nothing happening.

It happens. But I just I just want to scare everyone who's listening. I want to educate everyone. This is a possibility. Yes, but it's not a guarantee I am. If your body is not ready not ready. It's not rock going into labor. So what happened next the less the doctor that was with me around 7 p.m.

And he said we're going to take you off pitocin order something for dinner. Have a nice meal. We'll start this again. In the morning in the morning. Okay. Now the morning was like four or five in the morning, so. It was early but they were like we're going to give your baby a break. Yeah, but doesn't do you remember where you having any contractions that you just weren't feeling they were showing up on the monitor on the monitor, but I wasn't really feeling anything.

So just a really mild contractions, right? Okay, so I was like cuz they would come in and they'd be like, oh you're having a contraction. I was like, oh is this what that like and I'm like, oh I can handle this because I'm feeling nothing like I was like, I'm so strong. So strong. I love I've had a couple interviews do or it's like I was on the pitocin and I wasn't feeling anything really be on active labor.

You feel you're feeling something. Yes. So here's the thing that I want people to hear from this to if you get induced at 7 or 11 in the morning and. Laboring all day and really not much of anything is happening. Like I love that your care provider gave you this option to shut it down just get through the night and see if tomorrow's a new day.

So you have tomorrow your body's ready. Exactly. Okay, so we tried so they did cervidil like it some. Ungodly hour of the morning like 4 a.m. Okay, and then we started the pitocin again like around 5:30 or 6:00. So they started early the next year for a star sleep at all. I did. Okay. I did I mean not great but I wasn't sleeping great at home at this point, but you felt you still felt rest.

I felt like. I could do that. I can do this. Okay, so then around 10 a.m. That morning I started feeling more contraction. Okay. Still nothing crazy around 10 a.m. My water broke on its own on its own. Oh your first sign of labor right now. We're going to take a short break to just share a few things with you and we'll be right back with our guest.

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Yay. Okay. I'm like, all right. Can't be long now and this is 10 a.m. Okay. So after my water broke was what I like legitimately started to having contractions that I felt it was like game on and this is very normal. So things get a little bit more intense and pick up when that water is gone. Yes, so and you know, there we go.

We're off and running and I'm moving around because Dad. I did not like having contractions while lying down. Okay for me. I felt much better moving your body moving. So I got feels intuitive just even hear you say that like instead of feeling like having pain happened to you you're working with the pay.

Yes, so what kind of moving dancing rocking just was still walking? I wasn't walking so much out in the hallways anymore, but I was still walking. And I would sit on the ball for a while because that relieved the pressure in my hips a lot. Also, this is I don't know. This is probably going to sound weird.

I would like hou like Lena over onto the bed. A little and David like push my hips. Yeah in okay. So that's called a double hip squeeze we will duel as do this for the entirety of Labor almost every single contraction. Yes. So like when I'm finished with a birth like my arms feel like they want to fall off your husband's probably felt the same way.

So we'll Link in the show notes to a double hip squeeze. It's really important. If you don't have a doula it's really important that your husband or your partner knows how to do a double hip squeeze because as carries. I think it reminds a lot of relief on of relief so we just kept on with that.

Okay. And did you want to have an epidural or did you want to have a natural birth? Like what was your head? What was your mind thinking so my birth plan was to have a baby. Okay. I love that that because of my pseudotumor. I didn't know. For this one if C-section was going to have it was going to be the safest route for me.

Okay, we're there any contract there wasn't a contraindication with the spinal fluid and doing a spinal epidural. No. Okay. Well, that's good. Yes. Okay. So I made it to around six o'clock that evening. So from 10 to 6, which doesn't sound heroic, but it was if it makes you feel better. Let me just interject.

Jagger had already been born eight hours. So whenever people say like, oh, how did you have a natural childbirth? And I'm like that story that you're telling my baby was born right? You know, that's how I did it. I labored naturally for eight hours and then he was in my arms, right so your eight hours into labor and your cervix is what.

3 3 centimeters dilated so you have a lot of Labor. Yes to go a lot a lot of Labor and the pain had gotten to the point that I was like, I think this is what I'm going to decide I want an epidural and so they. Just rolled that in like because you already had an IV fluids going so it was no problem.

Yeah. So from the time you decided I want an epidural you think it was about 45 minutes later 8042502 it felt quick. Okay, like I've asked for this and they. Bringing it to me, LOL. Alright. Okay what I didn't think through so well, is that your then stuck in the bed? Okay, where are you weren't able to move what you're enjoying moving.

Yes. Okay. I'm so that is something that like I wish I had put together or someone had said we will happily get you an epidural but know that you're not leaving the bed once we do that. Because you're a fall risk, right? Because your fucking legs are no your legs. Yes, like those are like they're not so but I think it's important to tell people why why can't you leave the back?

Right? Well, they have to monitor you continuously now like so instead of intermittent monitoring of the baby. Now, we have to monitor mom and baby continuously. You're a fall risk a fall risk because I can't feel my legs. I mean I get it but. I didn't put the two things like I was looking for pain relief, but you still wanted to move that I still wanted to see us because I felt like that was also providing a level of pain relief.

Yeah, but what happened when the epidural went in did you feel like did you instantly feel better? I did I did for several hours. And the this is where the peanut thing comes in. How about because even though you can't you nut ball the peanut ball can help provide some additional relief and the peanut ball for everyone is listening, which also Link in the show notes.

It's literally what it sounds like it is a humongous ball in the shape of a peanut and it goes between the legs and there's clinical evidence that shows that when you have an epidural and that you are in bed laboring when you use the peanut ball to open up your hips and your pelvis. It shortens the length of Labor did that happen in your case.

Gary not happen in my case. Well, that was a good clinical trial. It does actually does actually but it's clinical data is good on it made me feel better. Yeah, like I experienced some relief of my hip pain. So it wasn't it wasn't a I didn't know that it was supposed to help speed things along. So for me, it worked great.

Perfect. I was just using it for a different purpose. Yes pain management people. So then around midnight or 1:00. I started calling the nurse and I was like my back hurts so bad. We have to do something. Okay, and she said, Yeah, the beds are really uncomfortable. No, she did not she did you are in two days of Labor.

You have an epidural? Yes. Okay, and so, oh, I'm just getting comfortable right now. There's like no something else is going on and you're in bed with an epidural and you're like my back is hurting. Do you mean back pain or do you mean pressure and your rectum? Like are you wanting to crawl out of your skin uncomfortable sweet?

We're in transition. But anyway, that's where as a doula that's where I would have gone like 02 day, you know, 40 40 40 two weeks and two days and two days of induction and now you're relaxing with an epidural. Boom transition, yes, but now the doctor did come in and checked your survey be was thinking the same thing.

Okay, and it this point I had made a giant leap to 7 centimeters dilated. Oh my god, let's actually like it's really that is kind of a big lie. Okay that is kind of a big leap because literally once you get over that 4 to 5 centimeter like, huh? You can go from 7 to 10 and one contraction. So yes, it is.

It doesn't feel like it not in your case, but it could be a huge leap. Right? But he was like, it's really the position of the baby though. So he felt your baby was still high. Hmm and your cervix was seven. So we went like another hour. Hour and a half of you being in pain. Yes, and so at that point told me so at that point she comes in and.

She could have not been more kind more gentle and she said she checked me again and I had made zero progress from from the last check for the last check and she said I think at some point we need to start considering the possibility of a seizure. Hold on right now. I have a question because I'm so uncomfortable with everything that's happening.

Where's your pain button? Oh, I'm okay that to the point that they've told me I'm getting no more. Okay, because if you had an epidural you can hit the button I like you can hit the button so you're heading about no relief. Okay button, so I don't want to like take steal your thunder, but I'm like.

But I'm assuming that the epidural has has gone like it did it fall out. It is not working completely gone, but I did not realize that until I got down and met the Now new anesthesiologist who's on duty. Okay, because we've been playing this game so long because now you're like I can feel everything.

I could my leg everything. I've made no progress. Yes, I'm not progressing and she is so gently suggesting that maybe we should start considering a C-section to which I reply how quickly can we make that okay. I was wondering if this was like a sense of relief like because you said your birth plan was to have a baby.

Yes, like nothing else on that birth plan. So I'm imagining if someone says let's roll. Let's fix that but Earl or let's have a baby. Yes. Okay. No one was acknowledging. That my epidural was not working. That's frustrating. It was very frustrating. So they roll me down and I'm like laying on the bed outside of the operating room when I meet the new anesthesiologist and he's like, I just need to gauge how much of your epidural is still working.

Can you try to lift your leg for me? And I did essentially like a waist high kick. Oh my God, like you're a ballerina, right? Oh shit. You have nothing left? Ya da. That's why I mean I don't get hurt. I keep telling everybody about a lot of pay. Oh my gosh, you did. I lovely spinal block. Okay for me.

Can you walk us through what that process was like having an epidural in place and then getting a spinal block. Remember a ton the spinal block. Like I remember them giving me the epidural and feeling all of that. I didn't really feel the spinal block from the point of like the needle going saying though goes into your back.

Yeah. Okay. Sorry. Also, hysterically, they're always like crunch up and bring your knees to your chest. But you're a thousand months pregnant. That's a little difficult. Yeah, I'd be like, this is just the shape. I am this is my shape. It doesn't go forward or backwards or sideways. Right. Sure.

Sure. I'll bring my knees to my chest. No problem would be like I can't couldn't do that before pregnancy. But a miracle happened you put a 10-pound baby inside me and then all of a sudden my knees go to my nose. Okay, so I just remember like him saying okay. It's in and I'm lying there and like finally the pain really was gone and I just was like, all right.

Let's do this like hello. Yeah still good that you're like really and you have you had surgery before this moment. No, I have not. So this is your first time this is my first time surgery. Were you scared? No, okay. I was too tired to this point. What time is it now 3 a.m. Almost 3 a.m. On Wednesday on Wednesday.

So now you're 42 weeks 3 days gestation. Yes, I need a Santa Claus is about to come out of you, right?

And you felt nothing. I felt nothing. Okay. I felt a little pressure as he was coming out but like that was really and where was your husband right at my head right at your health what he liked talking at all or is he just quiet? He's pretty quiet especially when things are serious. So he was very quiet and you were making jokes of course.

Okay, so that's how I deal with everything. I can tell right us sure. And this is a funny like what am I? Like most Vivid memories is if they take it if they take the baby you go with a baby like wherever they take the baby you go with the baby. I don't don't make don't mess it up. I'll mess it up.

We've worked this hard like stay with the baby again. Our clan have a baby. Take home a baby. There we go. Have a baby take on projects. Okay. So yeah, so I mean. And they get Jason out Dave gets to announce that it's a boy. So I would say within about five minutes. He was in my arms where they stand I'm assuming they're still suturing you at this point.

Yes. So while they're still suturing you you're able to hold your baby. Absolutely. That's pretty cool. So let's talk about your nursing experience. You want you to share that with people so baby comes out. You're like, I'm going to nurse my baby nurse and similar to I'm going to have a baby. It was I'm going to feed my baby.

So I was I had I had not had my heart set on. Exclusively nursing or you know any of that was like we're going to try it with your best and that wouldn't happen. Yes, but then like there's this like weird thing that happens in your brain after you actually have the baby and you're like I want to nurse this baby, especially when milk, even if it's not a lot of milk, but some milk comes in.

Yes. You have a natural desire to express it. Yes to get it out of here, whether it's physically painful. The baby cries and you tingle and you feel it and all that so, you know I get that so we planned a nurse and he was latching. Okay early on not great. He would pop off a lot. So, you know, they let you go home after 48 hours after a c-section so we went home but everything seemed good when we left and he seemed to be latching.

He seemed to be getting. And then go to the doctor the pediatrician what like two or three days later three days later maybe and he had lost a significant amount of weight at that point. Oh, we forgot to say how much did he weigh? Oh Jason weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces of blue. Okay, so basically nine pounds so a 9-pound baby at over 42 weeks gestation.

Oh and that's a big baby back hurt so bad. Is he? Opie yeah, she's um, she's doing the gesture 40 P. I'm sorry that to the rest of the world would mean face the wrong direction. So face up instead of face down. So the reason my back hurt so bad was because he was trying to come out of my tail bones planes a lot.

Yeah, I mean this is just I like hearing your story and I'm just like oh, I think everyone who's listening is just let's give everyone let's give carry like a virtual hug through the radio waves or podcast waves like almost 43 weeks gestation. Almost a 9-pound baby like. I don't know if it's called a failed induction.

But I mean essentially I would tell that action a failed epidural. I mean, I'm definitely going to call that a banal failed. I've been are all and then okay. So now you're trying to nurse. I'm trying to nurse the babies lost weight. Okay, your 9-pound baby has now lost weight. Yes. Okay, so, you know, so the pediatricians it's like we have to turn this around quickly.

He needs to be gaining weight. Unlike I'm on board with that and so I go in to see the lactation consultant at my pediatricians practice. Okay, and she was an angel Sent From Heaven my very first appointment with her like she's like, let me see him nurse and. Get undressed to to start that she goes has anybody told you that you have tissue damage in your breasts and I was like no matter where you like.

I've actually never even heard of that before never even heard that that was a fake. So most everybody listening doesn't know what that is either. So tell us what does that mean? So as I went through adolescence something that we don't know the cause of did not my breast tissue did not develop the way it should for me to produce milk.

But just in case anyone saying thinking right now because we're on the radio and they're not don't know what I don't even know what we are on. What are you on when you're on a podcast people are listening to you though, and they can't see you. Carrie has very normal-looking breasts. Yes, so you wouldn't know from like looking at you like no you have normal breasts.

They look perfectly normal. Yes. So not that mean you have a t-shirt you have a t-shirt on but I'm just right, you know talking about guys with their doctor and the podcast Studio. She's feeling them and watching you nurse and she's like this is tissue damage. Now one thing that I had never paid attention do like I know that I'm small chested, but they kind of point out.

Okay, like when not in the confines of a bra they swim of weight in a V. But what direction did they want them to point apparently forward? Oh, okay,

when you are extra large breasts, they also point out a point that every direction Selena laughs Sweden, right so we can absolutely down wherever you need them to go so I know that's why I'm curious. Okay so small are they pointing to V? So that was at an indication. It is an indication. I'm Trish.

Image so the reason I say that she was an angel Sent From Heaven is because she looked at me and she's like this is going to be hard to hear but I'm going to tell you right now you can do absolutely everything on the internet. That it tells you to produce more breast milk, but you will only at best produce half of what he needs.

Okay, so you were like, I don't need to order a 500 lactation cookies and some Guinness beer, right? Okay, like and that was helpful. It's like it was it was a little blunt like a release, but I needed to hear. I I can't do this like your body physically physically kid wasn't that's not for like us effort.

This is not for lack of trying I will only add best produce half of what he needs. Okay. So at that point I was like. All right, for some reason that makes me cry. I'm sorry. I don't know why I don't know why sorry dear and Carries talking. I'm crying. Yeah, so so anyway, but because I just feel like I'm so proud of you that you're like, you know, you're not melting down at this moment you're crying again of it.

But well, I just want to say I'm sorry that something that feel like this is the thing. I think we go into like our. Our birds and we think like God, our body was meant to do our body with is meant to go into labor. Right? Our body is meant to deliver a baby vaginally. Are we reborn to nurse these babies?

And then where does this myth come from like that? Were art were just born to do it all no. No, sometimes a cesarean section as a gift the gift of life and sometimes formula is a gift of life. I think I think a big learning point was for me. I didn't this was my first birth. Yeah. So in a lot of these ways, I didn't know.

I knew that this was not totally the norm but I think I was still elated to have a baby. Like I was still elated that I had a healthy baby boy. Like I think the takeaway is no matter how crazy the journey is. It's all okay, it's all okay all okay you still are. Many of us fortunate enough to walk away with our baby in our arms and raise them.

Yes to be you know and wonderful human being and I was not wanting to have a very set birth plan or or nursing play when we talk about birthday and it's all okay and in the moment, even they just felt like bumps in the road. They sound a lot worse. Now we can take it then what it felt like in the moment, but it felt like in the moment was just this is what I need to do to me my baby.

This is what I need to do to. Eat my baby and you are still kind of probably drunk with all of those. Like I just had a baby. What are you expect 100% Like they like I just was madly in love with him. What choices did they give you for then feeding your baby? So I miss and I ask this because I'm assuming this one things taken away from you, but I'm assuming that you're still unpowered with some options.

Yes, so I had the option to we could continue trying to nurse. Just knowing I would need to supplement with formula. Okay, or I could just go straight to formula. So I opted to try to nurse. What about pumping so that came along lately. So well, I guess it didn't because they wanted. Me to pump after I nursed to sort of try to get an idea as to how much I was producing.

We kept trying to latch kept popping off. He was what is described as a distracted eater. I around six weeks or eight weeks decided that this was causing a lot of unnecessary stress. You can already take a bottle. You're going back to work right? I'm going back to work. He has to take a bottle because I have to supplement with formula.

Yeah. So I let go of this unnecessary. Demand that he also nurse and so I pumped exclusively for 10 months. Holy Moses. But again, that's how long I don't know any different. You're amazing. Okay, because your kids are 19 months apart. So when did you get pregnant again? He was 9 months old when I got part so you still pumped while you probably didn't know you were pregnant.

Were you pump into the auto while you're pregnant? Okay, essentially what I knew I was pregnant. I see the new status taught him well, High five, let's high five that good job at carry because you could have just said no, but I'm done formula only I could which which if anyone chooses that that's okay.

That's okay. That's what I totally fine. I was stuck in the. I have a lot of environmental allergies and I wanted to try to prevent him somehow I might head if you had breast milk, you would not have as many environmental allergies that well, there is some data that proves that right. So not always not always no, but yes, I reduce the chance seemed like and a minimal thing to do to try to prevent to have a healthier adult child or adult child.

So we'll see how that turns out. Yeah, I kept. About 50% of what he needed until he was around 10 months old and then I like weaned off of pumping and it was just too great it like things were just too crazy, too. To continue doing that but I can pump in the car. I could like I pumped everywhere you are able champ.

Where was like the most unique place. You have our pump where I was working at the time host the clay shoot and if you're familiar with a clay shoot it's where I mean, I am because I'm from North Carolina. It's like skeet shooting. Yeah. I feel like someone pulls in a clay goes flying out and you tit rifle and you shoot it, and I was working that event.

And there's no nursing mothers room. Play some privacy privacy. So I pumped in the backseat of my car in a parking lot, which wasn't actually a parking lot. It was like a cattle field that had been turned into a parking lot for the day. Oh my god. Did you use a nursing or mean, uh nursing a pumping bra the bra hands-free is things are a dream such a Dream.

Well, let's talk about before we go because we're almost out of time but let's talk about exclusive pumping because on my first with me, I haven't told the story on the podcast yet. But with my first child, he was severely lip and tongue tied and I exclusively pumped also until I was also pregnant with the next one.

And so we have a we could have a whole. Higher episode on exclusive pumping but let's just talk for a minute. Like let's just talk about so the hands-free bra. Like, I know that that was like a huge savior huge for me. Another thing that people told me to do. Is an order to have a letdown when your child is not with you and you're not like holding, you know, if you're at work you're going back to work and you're pumping is on my phone.

I had all these videos recorded that I would watch and that would try to help stimulate let down by hearing his sounds and looking at him. Did you have any rituals or any things that you did to try to? Help your let down the best thing that anybody ever told me was particularly if you're working and exclusively pumping get a Ziploc bag like a freezer size bag.

Okay, and in between pumping sessions during the day, don't try to wash all of those parts put them in that bag put them in the refrigerator and then you can just use them again the next pump and so you're not using up all that time. Constantly washing you just wash at the end of the day when you get home and you're doing all the other thousand dishes interesting and I'm assuming the refrigerator thing is just to keep it clean.

Like, you know, the same like as well because you know, if there's breast milk in any of the pump pieces like breast milk is good in the refrigerator for up to six days. So this is huge. Everybody's listening pumping tips with hiding Artie. Seven sets of pumping part so that you have a different set throughout the day like just reuse and wash once a day.

So I had a home set in a work set. I will say as much stuff as you can have. A separate set for home and work. Yep. I agree is beneficial particularly if you have a winter baby and live somewhere with a lot of mature trees and that come down and storms the battery pack. To your pump is worth every penny.

Yep, and also a car charger car charger. You are charged archived on the car all the time. I was going to say I pumped to and from work on the commute because I thought that was pretty efficient. I was like, well, I'm just driving home anyways or just gonna I would put it on right before the drive home and then I would pump and then.

Actually when you're driving when you're done pumping like 15, 20 minutes later, you just turn the pump off and all the parts were still on me and I would just unhook, um, you know when I got home, so all right. Well, we are going to probably just have to do a whole nother episode where we talk about pumping exclusively.

Yes. I'm to provide that benefit for our children carry. It's been amazing. Hearing your story things like me and just everything that you had to share. It was really special before you go. Tell us what was or is your favorite baby product the nosefrida the one gave it to me at a baby shower. Yeah, and I was like, I will never.

Is this and then discussed how many times do we say that when you're pregnant? Don't ever just don't make claims on your pregnant. I will never Neverland the blank because everybody said you're gonna do it. No, what's coming next? Yeah, but I did I was like I will never use that so tell everybody what is it nosefrida.

So essentially there's like this blue tube that you like can put at the end of their nostril and then there's like a straw and then a suction piece and you can. And suck the snot out of your children's face. Okay, so it sounds like you're sucking it into your mouth though, but you're not there's a blue tube thing that you suck it into and there are two there's a filter to make sure that it doesn't come into the straw.

Okay it is. A thousand times more efficient than the bulb and when they are super congested like you can just provide them so much relief. Yeah, especially when it's like 3 o'clock in the morning and you're so tired. You're pumping and you're like, oh God my kid can't breathe. So the nosefrida and willing to that in the show notes.

Oh, thanks, Carrie.

Thank you for listening to birds. Story my goal is you will walk away from each episode with a clearer picture of how labor and delivery might go and that you will feel empowered by the end of your pregnancy to speak up plan and prepare for the birth. You want no matter what that looks like.

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